12 | Monday, May 25, 2020 CHINA DAILY

By CHEN HONG year, which will cost nearly 15.8 bil­ [email protected] lion yuan ($2.22 billion). The projects include high­speed Zhanjiang in South China’s rails, an international airport and Guangdong province has strength­ port channel expansion. They will ened its position as an important Zhanjiang becoming greatly upgrade Zhanjiang’s trans­ regional center by sticking to its portation network to make it better development plan despite the chal­ connected with other cities in lenges of the COVID­19 outbreak. Guangdong and neighboring The city, located in a less­devel­ regions, thus helping Zhanjiang oped western area of affluent key regional hub realize its goal of becoming a region­ Guangdong, has been increasingly al hub. leaned on by the provincial gov­ In a recent decision made by the ernment to lead the economic provincial government, Zhanjiang development of its neighboring has been named as one of five region. metropolises, together with the “We have mapped out a compre­ neighboring cities of Maoming hensive plan for high­quality devel­ and Yangjiang, to enhance the opment for the city in terms of quality of their urban develop­ transportation, industry, openness ment. to the outside world and innova­ Zheng Renhao, Party secretary of tion,” said Jiang Jianjun, mayor of Zhanjiang, said the cities can col­ Zhanjiang. City hitting its development targets laborate to strengthen their indus­ “We are moving smoothly toward despite virus complications trial cooperation and transport our goal to be a sub­center of the links. province and build a modern coast­ “We can set up a joint meeting al economic belt,” he noted. system to strengthen the interaction In the first quarter of this year, and cooperation, enhance the dis­ when COVID­19 swept the coun­ wharf into operation in Zhanjiang cussions on major issues that will try, 97 planned key projects, which earlier this month. affect all sides to reach common included new investments as well We have mapped out Meanwhile, the Zhongke Refinery ground and promote mutual devel­ as renewals, were all carried out in a comprehensive and Petrochemical Project, the big­ opment,” Zheng said during a visit Zhanjiang, according to the gov­ gest project of its kind under con­ to Maoming on May 13. ernment figures. plan for high­quality struction by Sinopec, will be put into He said the two cities can deepen They accounted for nearly 14 development for the operation in June. It will form part cooperation in the sectors of agricul­ percent of the city’s projected of Zhanjiang’s integrated refinery ture, marine fishery, port and logis­ investment this year. city in terms of and petrochemical complex. tics and carry out water treatment BASF (Guangdong) Verbund Site transportation, While the construction of key pro­ projects together to improve the project, the German chemical jects has resumed after a suspension ecologic environment. giant’s largest overseas investment industry, openness to due to the pandemic, the transpor­ Mayor Jiang said Zhanjiang will that began construction in Zhanji­ the outside world and tation plan has been accelerated as improve the construction of public ang last November, will start its pil­ well. facilities this year to aid the goal of ing work at the end of May. Top: An aerial view of Zhanjiang, a coastal city in Guangdong innovation.” According to the mayor, the city becoming a regional center for Sinopec, China’s leading energy province. LANG SHUCHEN / FOR CHINA DAILY Above: A mega petrochemical Jiang Jianjun, a deputy to the will accelerate the construction of economy, finance, commerce and and petrochemical company, put project funded by Sinopec is scheduled to be put into operation in National People’s Congress 46 key transportation projects trade, science, education and cul­ the country’s largest petrochemical Zhanjiang in the near future. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY who serves as Zhanjiang mayor planned at the beginning of this ture.

Zhanjiang to participate in high­lev­ el regional cooperation and compe­ Bumper catches lift tition, he added. Its goal is to build a regional cen­ ter of economics, finance and busi­ village out of poverty ness, as well as hub of research, education, culture and healthcare. Thus the city can better serve key By LIANG KAIYAN ed among the first batch of national national strategies, including the [email protected] demonstration parks for the inte­ Belt and Road Initiative, the Guang­ grated industrial development in dong­Hong Kong­Macao Greater Fu Jianshang, a fisherman in rural areas. Bay Area and the China (Hainan) Xuwen county of Zhanjiang, The county represents the epito­ Pilot Free Trade Zone, and make Guangdong province, feels good me of Zhanjiang’s progress in rural greater contributions to the coun­ about his catch this year. revitalization. try’s drive to develop a marine econ­ From Baimao fishing village, Fu Rural revitalization plays a omy and promote regional growth, has been busy hauling in fish for prominent role in promoting high­ the mayor said. over two months. Thanks to the quality development in Zhanjiang, Jiang’s opinion was echoed by good weather, he can earn about said Jiang Jianjun, a deputy to the Ning Ling, another NPC deputy and 1,000 yuan ($140) a day selling at National People’s Congress, who also vice­president of Guangdong the local market, he said. serves as mayor of the city. Ocean University, who cited proact­ Fu’s experience is shared by The city has launched a series of ive fiscal policies, expansion of many people in Baimao who also measures and made substantial domestic demand and employment earn a living on the water. achievements in them, Jiang said. Jiang Jianjun (center), mayor of Zhanjiang, and other deputies to the National People’s Congress, who opportunities, and a shift in eco­ However, in the past income One of the efforts is setting up spe­ are from the city, attend China’s annual top legislative gathering in Beijing. WANG HUI / FOR CHINA DAILY nomic growth mode — as shown in could be volatile due to poor weath­ cialized groups in helping develop the report — as timely incentives to er conditions and aging equipment. rural areas in fields including Zhanjiang’s development. The situation changed four years industries, culture, ecology and Lin Shuixi, board chairman of ago on the back of Zhanjiang’s human resources. sugar maker Jinling Group who is renewed poverty alleviation drive. In 2019, the added value of mod­ NPC deputies praise government’s also in the Zhanjiang NPC deputy In 2016, the Zhanjiang science ern agriculture in Zhanjiang delegation, said the report features a and technology bureau cooperated reached 58.52 billion yuan, up 4.2 pragmatic approach by addressing with relevant authorities to set up a percent from 2018, and the grain role in spurring economic growth specific issues. It reflects the central team to help lift 33 disadvantaged output reached 1.47 million metric government’s insistence on people­ households out of poverty in Baim­ tons, an increase of 6.3 percent. centered development. ao village. The city has implemented envi­ By YUAN SHENGGAO struction and urbanization expan­ benefit from the country’s favorable Government financial support, Focusing on fishing, the team ronmental projects in rural areas sion as well as major projects, which policies aimed at unleashing designed to go down to the grass­ carried out tailor­made projects, including building five new wet­ During the ongoing National Peo­ are conducive to improving people’s demand from the domestic market, roots level, gives businesses more including an agreement with an land parks and scheduling 1,522 vil­ ple’s Congress, NPC deputies from quality of life, promoting consump­ Jiang said. strength and faith in weathering the aquaculture company from Guang­ lages to develop rural tourism, the Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, tion, optimizing industrial structure A comprehensive national trans­ current difficulties caused by the dong province, and granted 1.5 mil­ mayor said. hailed the 2020 Government Work and spurring economic growth, port hub is taking shape in Zhanji­ COVID­19 outbreak lion yuan to support the company’s Zhanjiang is advancing the rural Report as “a great encouragement” according to the report. ang, which provides key support Zhao Jianshe, an NPC deputy anti­poverty project in the village, revitalization plan issued last year to the city’s high­quality develop­ “For Zhanjiang, that means sig­ for building the city into a “provin­ and also deputy general manager thus giving villagers an annual divi­ to make great achievements in the ment, Zhanjiang Daily reported. nificant opportunities,” Jiang said. cial sub­center” and developing a of Zhanjiang Communication dend worth 1,400 yuan. next three years. The plan covers Among them, Zhanjiang Mayor The city is advancing the con­ modern coastal economic belt, he Investment Group, said what By 2019, the 33 poverty­stricken governance of rural areas, cultiva­ Jiang Jianjun said the report, deliv­ struction of another four high­speed noted. impressed him most about the households in the village had been tion of experts and specialists work­ ered at the opening of this year’s rail lines linking to Guangzhou in “We will accelerate the construc­ report was the high value that the lifted out of poverty, and the per ing at grassroots level, agriculture NPC annual meeting on Friday, Guangdong province, Hepu in the tion of a modern comprehensive central government placed on peo­ capita annual disposable income of development and rural tourism. takes into consideration the influ­ Guangxi Zhuang autonomous transport hub, put western Guang­ ple’s well­being. the village’s residents was 18,825 “Rural revitalization is a huge ence of the COVID­19 outbreak and region, Haikou in Hainan province dong (where Zhanjiang is located) The report sent an uplifting signal yuan. topic and task requiring long­term the mounting pressure from an eco­ and Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, on a fast track to growth and help to Zhanjiang’s infrastructure con­ To prevent people from falling strategies and input,” Jiang said. nomic downturn. in addition to the Shenzhen­Zhanji­ the region join the ranks of struction, the NPC deputy said. back into poverty, the local authori­ Zhanjiang will continue its It emphasizes pandemic preven­ ang high­speed railway in opera­ advanced economies in the coun­ He added that the report calls for ties said they have continued to efforts revolving around ensuring tion and control on the govern­ tion. try,” he said. increasing investment in major focus on boosting the village’s eco­ the victory in the battle against ment’s agenda and calls for Other major projects in Zhanji­ With mega investment projects as transportation and hydro projects, nomic development via financial extreme poverty, and the comple­ socioeconomic development while ang, including the Zhanjiang Inter­ an engine to drive growth of the which will play an encouraging role support and the development of tion of the building of a moderate­ curbing the virus spread, he added. national Airport and a shipping local economy, Zhanjiang is creating in promoting projects in Zhanjiang rural tourism. ly prosperous society in all Government funding will boost channel capable of handling world­class industrial clusters in its that need improvements on the Last year, Xuwen county was list­ respects, he added. new types of infrastructure con­ 400,000­tonnage vessels, will also harbor areas, which will enable infrastructure facilities. Coastal area aimed at building itself into a national transport center

By LIANG KAIYAN Trade Port and city clusters in the ince to become a planned national revolving around ports construction, Beibu Gulf covering Guangdong and comprehensive transportation hub. transportation network expansion Zhanjiang in Guangdong province Hainan provinces and the Guangxi “Transportation used to be a bot­ and aviation services, according to is expected to strengthen its position Zhuang autonomous region. tleneck for Zhanjiang’s develop­ the city plan. as a national transport hub this year In addition, construction on the ment,” Jiang said. However, the The city will promote building on the back of major projects, local Guangzhou­Zhanjiang high­speed operation of the first high­speed rail­ new channels for ports and wharves officials said. railway will start this year. way from Shenzhen to Zhanjiang in in a bid to enhance participation in The last year of the 13th Five­Year The 400­kilometer­long high­ 2018 and the approval of the plan the construction of the new sea­land Plan (2016­20) period, 2020 is crucial speed railway is expected to be com­ have given the city impetus to corridor in western China. These for Zhanjiang to achieve its goal of pleted in 2024. After completion, it increase its development, he added. efforts include accelerating the con­ becoming a national comprehensive will slash the travel time from Zhan­ As the status of a national trans­ struction of functional wharves such transportation hub, said Jiang Jian­ jiang to Guangzhou to just one and a portation hub has been recognized, as the Donghai Island port area for jun, mayor of the city and a deputy to half hours, and becoming the first A high­speed train runs through Zhanjiang. The city is advancing Zhanjiang has transformed from general cargo, the Xiashan port area the National People’s Congress. high­speed railway allowing trains to construction of more high­speed rail lines as part of its efforts to being a small player in transporta­ for common purposes and the Bao­ In 2020, the city plans to imple­ travel as fast as 350 kilometers per become a national transport hub. LANG SHUCHEN / FOR CHINA DAILY tion to an important player in sup­ man port area for containers. ment 46 major transportation pro­ hour in western Guangdong prov­ porting the country to develop an For urban transportation, the city jects, with a total investment of 15.86 ince. open economy and a marine econo­ will increase efforts in its construc­ billion yuan ($2.23 billion). It will “The year of 2019 was a milestone investment, project construction was approved by the Guangdong my, the mayor said. tion of highways and a highway sys­ continue to focus on improving the for Zhanjiang’s transportation con­ and planning,” Jiang said. provincial government and China This year, Zhanjiang will continue tem extending to Zhanjiang Bay, the construction of a transportation net­ struction, and the city has made his­ Zhanjiang’s overall plan for 2016­ State Railway Group in July 2019, to ramp up efforts in establishing city’s downtown area and surround­ work connecting the Hainan Free toric breakthroughs in sectors of 30 in terms of railway development making the city the third in the prov­ itself as a modern transportation hub ing areas, according to Jiang.

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